Many thrived as remote employees. You could wait until you finished writing an email before responding to instant messages. Because what are they going to do, walk to your desk? It took all of five minutes to get dressed each day. Yoga pants became all the rave! Some would only bother changing their shirts or putting on a sweater for the Zoom call while still sitting in their PJ bottoms. Money was saved on gas and going out to lunch since you could not go out with your coworkers and catch up on the latest gossip. Some were even more productive, at first, because the boundaries were removed, so you found yourself sitting at the computer longer, working more hours each day. The company was happy and so were you. But now things have changed. What was called a pandemic has now become normalized and employees are expected to return to the office. Face-to-face. All day, every day. Or at least two to three times per week. Here are a few of the changes you may want to consider, to make this transition as smooth as possible for yourself and those who must work with you.
1. Set realistic expectations. You must come to terms with being interrupted during the day. Your coworkers have more access to you and are more likely to stop by and ask a question. Especially when they have not received a response to an email or instant message. So, come into the office each day with the understanding that you will have interruptions. Understand that because of these interruptions, you may not get through your to-do list for the day, and that is okay. Unfortunately, that also means you may have to ask for additional time to complete certain tasks while everyone gets acclimated to being in the office again. Especially if your organization hired new employees during the remote period who now need to be reintroduced and shown the lay of the land. Questions may even increase “Now that I have you here…” Ironically, you may find that your collaborative projects are completed faster because your teammate can just pull up a chair. Or the two of you can go to a nearby conference room to bounce ideas back and forth as opposed to talking over each other on a call. You now feel like you have more control of your team and what each person is working on since you are all in the office together. If your return to work is hybrid, try having your team members come into the office on the same days, so you can work through things together. You can use your remote days to focus on individual projects and tasks. I know. Easier said than done. But you get the gist. Let’s not even talk about the issues we continue to face with the video freezing at the worst moments. This is eliminated in a face-to-face meeting. Those employees who fall to the back and stay on mute during the entire team meeting are now more noticeable. This may be the opportunity to help them gain more comfort with other members of the team.
2. Establish a New Routine. You can no longer go for a run around the neighborhood at 7 AM if you need to be at work by 8 AM as opposed to being online by 8 AM. So, you may need to set your alarm for an hour earlier to accommodate the commute into the office. As a result, you may find yourself going to bed earlier. Thereby getting more rest. You are now forced to put your boundaries back in place. Dinner needs to be on the table by 6 PM which means you cannot still be in the office versus running to the kitchen, starting dinner or a load of laundry, and then heading back to the computer. However, after being remote for so long, many spouses learned new recipes or found a love for cooking. So maybe this is one chore you no longer carry by yourself. You may even find yourself more likely to bring your lunch to work now that you have realized what you saved by not eating out. Your dog may have gotten used to your being home more often and going outside multiple times per day. So little Rocco may be in for a shock when he must start “holding it” all day again. But he will be fine. You are now able to stop by your favorite coffee spot each morning. That $25 per week is worth the tranquility the caffeine provides before you run into that one coworker who gets in early to get things done but wants to start talking as soon as you walk through the door 😐 Now that you are face-to-face, you may find it easier to talk to your leader about a possible promotion. Put a career progression plan in place. Managers have been skeptical about how employees were spending their time at home. Especially for new hires brought on board during the remote period.
3. Give Yourself Grace. While you may not feel going back to the office is a big adjustment, it is. If your health was impacted by the pandemic, and you feel more comfortable wearing your mask, then do that. No one else can tell you when or what level of comfort you should feel. Be ready to have those tough conversations with others. Let them know that standing in your cubicle or eating out at a crowded restaurant no longer suits you. You also need to be mindful of others' limitations as we have all been through something and it may have impacted each of us differently. Do not go back to the office complaining about how you enjoyed being home alone until the kids returned from school or the lunches you and your spouse would have while you were remote. Consider the coworker who has no significant other, kids, dog, or best friend nearby. Consider what this time may have been like for them and the relief being able to leave their four walls provides. Or maybe you were one of the people who started working remotely with a significant other, only to return to work as a co-parent with your ex. This is new territory for you. No, you are not required to give the team updates on the changes in your life. But you are allowed to give yourself time to adjust to this new norm as you figure out what works best for you where you are right now – not trying to figure out how you can get things back the way they used to be. Because they no longer are.
Each person, each household, has had to face a time in their life they probably never could have imagined. Lives were lost. Marriages ended. And you may have started to appreciate that previously annoying friend who “just called to check in”. However, the experience was not bad for all. Babies were made and born. Marriages and new relationships were formed. New business ideas started to bloom. Friendships were made with the neighbor you never spoke to before and now you have a walking club. Whatever your experience. It was your experience, and you have a right to feel how you feel. Take a breath. Pick up your laptop bag (don’t forget the charger!). And head to the door. You are now ready to embark on another chapter in this book called Life, but now more capable of facing unknown challenges that come your way.
The Transform Tuesdays newsletter was created to help professionals in corporate positions navigate the world of corporate America by overcoming the hurdles hindering them from growing to the next level in their careers, including knowing their value, using their voice, and being authentic to themselves.
Sherrika Sanders has been an accountant by trade for over 15 years. During her years as a corporate accountant, Sherrika progressed through various roles from Revenue Accountant to Corporate Controller. She worked to develop consolidated business processes, post-acquisition financial integration, and Fresh Start Accounting upon emergence from Chapter 11 within seven months of initial filing during her time as an Assistant Controller. Sherrika resigned from her role as Corporate Controller to take a leap of faith and start her own company, Transform the GAAP (Goals Assigned Achieving Purpose), where she specializes in helping employees on the accounting teams of Private and PE-backed organizations increase their productivity by identifying errors and inefficiencies in their current processes to meet organizational deadlines and professional goals. If you are seeking one-on-one or group coaching sessions, click on the following link for a complimentary consultation on how you can work with Sherrika to Transform the GAAP together. Sherrika believes in a judgment-free zone where all are contributors working towards a common goal. Visit https://www.transformthegaap.com/ to learn more.
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